The 7th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-A-Long!

[ShrekDawg]

That's what you say now. Wait till the chicken math catches up to you and you will want a cabinet too.

LOL if I could, I would have practically every animal out there! Unfortunately my parents have limited me to 8 chickens plus I still turn into a nervous nilly the few time's they've free ranged! but that may change if we fence part of the yard, they like to try to go to the woods. But next year I may try to sneak a few more or get some ducks. I still want a few more breeds and colors, like Wyandottes, Speckled Sussex, and some different color Orpingtons and Rocks and Australorps if I can find them but rare to have different colors here, so... maybe I do need that cabinet after all would probably just get chicks for those though. And I'm iffy on the Wyandottes cause I've heard some say they're mean. Not necessarily to them but to other chickens. I NEED a Speckled Sussex and every color Orpington though. It's a mighty need. And I wanna let a broody (if I ever get one!) Hatch chicks. Wanna try ducks or goats or rabbits next though. Ya know, maybe I do need a cabinet or several.... or a bunch of broodies... anyone wanna loan me a couple million dollars?

 

[TJordan]

I also would love to make my own cabinet incubator. I'm kind of afraid it won't work. But you have motivated me and I'll to will look at the post that you have been advised.
What does a&m stand for?
And how big do they grow?
Waiting anxiously for those pics. I need ideas.

Building a home incubator is not hard at all. I even hatched some under a heat lamp, an old cooler and a bowl of water. So don't panic. There are amazing, low cost instructions for it.

 

[TJordan]

Help Needed: I had 2 chicks hatch late, towards the end of Day 22 of my test hatch. One is doing great but the other one not so good. Mostly sleeping, big belly and not lifting its head much. Here is kind of how it mostly stays. I have force fed some Save-A-Chick electrolytes. Is there anything else I can do for it? It starts screaming when I pick it up so something hurts. Here is its pic: It does open its eyes and lift its head and walk a little sometimes but doesn't go very far. Here is another pic: 2nd Issue: [COLOR=0000FF]I have 2 eggs that are still not pipped and its almost end of Day 23. I candled them yesterday and they were still alive. What does everyone suggest I do? If they are still alive, shall I open the egg and peel off the shell if they are moving? Just don't want to toss them if they are alive. [/COLOR]

Sadly chances are good that it might not make it. If it steals like it hurts it may be internally wrong. It happens. Poor baby.

 

[Cynthia12]

Cynthia, your photos are absolutely gorgeous. I love this thread because I love your welcome pictures.

Thank you! I have fun with it.

 

[Ravynscroft]

Popping in to say

Good luck to everyone!

 

[Cynthia12]

First, adjust that incubator! It was to low in temps during the incubation.

You are doing what you can for the chick. I would get some poli vi sol without iron and give the chip a drop on the bead twice a day. Make it drink water and check to make sure the vent is open. They die withing a couple of days if the poo can't get out!

Do you think it has mushy chick disease? Sally has a great article on it.

Here is the article for mush chick disease...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/mushy-chick-disease-yolk-sack-infection-omphalitis

 

[Cynthia12]

Popping in to say

Good luck to everyone!

 

[Ravynscroft]

 

How're ya doing, Cynthia? Dunno how you keep up! Good work!

 

[ToddQ]

I've tried to move hens, it doesn't usually work (unless its my silkie).

However, I can try to give some tips I've heard and some things I've done myself while moving a broody hen:
Move them at night: the pro is that if they settle down then they have time to get use to it. The con is that if they don't settle down they tend to run around in their new cage, rubbing their comb raw and trampling their eggs, leaving them to go cold. This can break them up as well as panic or injure them.

Place them in a crate and let them see a pile of eggs: a good broody will go to any pile of eggs she finds. It may take some a while to settle down, but my silkie goes right to them, in about 10 seconds, and sits and stays. The problem with this is they sometimes return to their old nest if let out to run around, stretch, drink, use the bathroom, and eat.

Put a crate or wire around the nest: This isn't really moving them but it secures them. If they become afraid it may break them up so make sure the crate, pen, tractor, ect has enough room for a hungry hen that is pacing to avoid her trampling her own eggs.

Move her when the eggs begin to pip and she will listen to their calls and likely stay on the nest: make sure not to move them when they have a chick hatched because the act of moving may (not always, but sometimes) lead to the hen thinking she has left her nest and no longer needs to sit on eggs. She will take her one chick and move to her own spot in the new crate, leaving the other eggs to go cold.

I hope this helps some.  Best of luck!

It helps for sure. Since right now all she is sitting on is golfballs for the last 10 days Im going to try the move Friday night, if she takes the move on her golfballs well, I will give her a few eggs due to hatch 6-7 days later. Hopefully this works as I think the greatest thing is watching a mother hen and her babies.

 

[ToddQ]

Todd, I have moved broody hens with good success. You must move her at night, not dusk, complete darkness. Get everything ready before you move her, during the day when it is easier. Do you have a place to move her where she could get off the nest and drink and relieve herself but would not be "free" to leave the nest area? An enclosed area, coop, that is separate from the main coop? As someone else mentioned, if she can't see the old nest that is best. What kind/size of nest is she in? Make the new nest the same size enclosure. What is the nest itself made of? Straw, shavings? Use the same kind of nesting material.  Using the lowest light possible, move half of the warm golfballs she has been sitting on first, then the hen, then the rest of the warm golfballs. Don't use the light directly on her, keep everything as dim as possible. Leave when you have put the last golfballs under her. NO lights. You say she has been sitting for a week so she should settle on the nest. You'll know in the morning if she accepts the new location. Since she is on golfballs, give her all the next day or even a second to settle if she is off the nest in the morning. Once she settles back on the nest, you can move eggs from the incubator...you have plenty of time since they are on day 8 (but that was a day or so ago). Move the eggs at night....complete darkness...again using the smallest amount of light possible. Candle the eggs from the incubator and only give her the ones that look like they are developing. Moving them at day 14 to 16 would work great. Don't jostle the eggs when moving. I heat a towel in the dryer and gently place them on the warm towel inside a box or bucket to move mine. Be careful moving eggs too close to hatch, they need to position themselves. Don't move eggs that are pipped....you risk shrink wrapping them.

Thank you very much!
She is nesting in an old milk crate, (used to carry 4 quarts of milk back in my younger days) Straw bedding. I have a large coop that I plan on placing a large dog crate in, then also a small plastic cat crate with the new nest in it. This way she has room to move around outside the nest and my other chickens can not get to the little ones. I thought I would see what she would do if I offered her eggs today. I placed a fresh egg in front of her on the edge of the nest and she kinda stood up and with her beak pulled it in and sat back down. So hopefully giving her real eggs and taking the golfballs will be fairly easy switch.